Cameron and Blunkett unite in attack on family farm tax

David Cameron and Lord Blunkett put party differences aside to condemn the family farm tax, describing it as “stupid” and a “mistake”.

The rare cross-party intervention came amid continuing opposition to the policy from farming and rural organisations.

See also: Video: Campaign urges government to deliver rural ‘reset’

Speaking at the Countryside Alliance’s Campaign for the Countryside launch in Westminster on Monday 14 September, Lord Blunkett said the tax was an example of decisions being made without sufficient understanding of rural communities.

“I think the family tax, the family farm imposition was a mistake,” he told delegates. “A mistake made in the Treasury, but presented by my own party.”

He also criticised the proposed ban on trail hunting, calling it “a mistake” and saying there were “common sense ways round it”.

However, Labour peer Lord Blunkett said the debate should not simply focus on opposing government policy.

He praised the £2 bus fare cap and called for action to improve rural transport, connectivity and food security.

“Urban and rural are one and the same. We need each other,” he said.

Lord Blunkett © Andrew Parsons/Parsons Media

The former home secretary urged ministers to listen more closely to rural communities.

“By not listening to people, you’re not understanding the different nuances, the different needs and requirements, the different history of parts of our country and parts of our rural environment,” he said.

Broader criticism

Former Conservative prime minister Lord Cameron broadened his criticism of government rural policy, describing the farm inheritance tax as “stupid” and the proposed trail hunting ban as “completely wrong”.

He also criticised the government’s approach to shooting, warning that further restrictions risk damaging the wider rural economy and way of life.

“Some of these things we should be angry about,” Lord Cameron said.

He urged rural communities to draw on the spirit of the Countryside Alliance’s 2002 Liberty and Livelihood march.

“What we’ve got to do is not necessarily march yet, but we’ve got to take that spirit, we’ve got to take that passion, we’ve got to take that unity, and we’ve got to make it show again,” he said.

Lord Cameron also called on rural communities to engage directly with their MPs, urging people to attend constituency surgeries and make their concerns heard.

The comments came as the Countryside Alliance launched a campaign for a “rural reset”, arguing that government must do more to recognise the countryside’s economic and social contribution.

The campaign claims 27 policies have harmed rural communities since 2024, including the family farm tax, increases in employers’ national insurance contributions, horse-racing affordability checks, proposed restrictions on hunting and shooting, and a range of farming, environmental and land-use measures.

‘Perfect storm’

Former NFU president Minette Batters renewed her criticism of the family farm tax, saying it was “not a manifesto commitment”, that its evidence base was wrong and that the money raised would fund the NHS for “less than a week”.

She warned that food security must be treated as national security as farming faces a “perfect storm” of rising costs, disease and severe weather.

“The countryside doesn’t want to strike. It doesn’t want to protest,” Baroness Batters said. “All it really wants is for the prime minister [Andy Burnham] to succeed. To work with us, not against us.”

Baroness Batters said the campaign needed to make a stronger case for the countryside’s contribution to the UK economy.

“It’s time for a rural reset,” she said.

A government spokesman said: “This is the start of a new conversation with farmers and rural communities as we work together to build a stronger future for British farming and unlock growth in rural areas.”